On Friday, March 6th, the State Security Service (SSS) of Azerbaijan announced that they had successfully thwarted terrorist attacks and plots by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran within their borders, including an attempt to attack a major oil pipeline leading to Turkey.
The security service stated that Iran’s attacks were aimed at creating public panic and damaging Azerbaijan’s international reputation. The targeted sites included the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, an Ashkenazi Jewish synagogue, and leaders of the local mountain Jewish community.
Authorities revealed that they intercepted and disarmed three explosive devices smuggled into the country, preventing them from falling into the hands of third parties. The security service is currently conducting ongoing operations to identify Iran’s intelligence agency’s strategic facilities and targets within Azerbaijan and to root out local accomplices involved.
The investigation by the security service revealed that the main Iranian suspect conspired with local associates in Azerbaijan to conceal containers holding up to 7.73 kilograms of C-4 explosives near a bathhouse center on the outskirts of the capital, Baku. The explosives were deemed capable of destroying underground pipelines and concrete structures up to 6 meters deep.
Furthermore, through covert surveillance, the security service intercepted another batch of remote-controlled C-4 bombs smuggled by IRGC operatives and a bomb hidden near a shipyard capable of causing fatalities within a radius of 300 meters. The investigation also indicated that these implicated Iranians were involved not only in terrorist attacks but also in international drug smuggling.
In addition to bomb attacks, the IRGC was also recruiting assassins and planning covert assassination operations in Azerbaijan. An Iranian agent had offered a $50,000 reward to place a bomb under a designated bridge, with explicit instructions from the IRGC to attempt assassinations of Jewish individuals residing in Azerbaijan.
In another planned assassination targeting specific public figures, Iranian agents instructed a local female accomplice to conduct surveillance, photograph the targets’ workplace, and prepare to receive assassins infiltrating from a third country with weapons. During this time, another Azerbaijani accomplice even volunteered to carry out the operation for 80,000 manats.
The captured eight Azerbaijani accomplices confessed to transporting explosives and preparing for assassinations under the instructions of IRGC personnel. The investigation confirmed that the mastermind behind these terrorist attacks was Colonel Ali Asghar Bordbar Sherami of the IRGC Intelligence Agency.
Azerbaijan has issued international arrest warrants for the four Iranian suspects involved. In court, the four Azerbaijani accomplices involved in smuggling explosives were sentenced to six and a half years in prison, while the remaining suspects accused of preparing for assassinations and unlawfully possessing explosives were remanded in custody pending trial.
The Azerbaijani State Security Service emphasized that they are continually expanding their pursuit of other terrorist operatives colluding with foreign intelligence agencies lurking within their borders. As of now, Iranian authorities have not issued any comments or statements regarding this incident.
It is worth noting that on March 6th, citing security concerns, Azerbaijan ordered the evacuation of its diplomatic personnel from Iran. In fact, due to Azerbaijan’s close relations with Israel, tensions between the country and Iran have been longstanding and intense.